Digital Divide
The digital divide is referred to as the gap in technology that is prevalent in the United States. It can be used to describe the difference in those who have “access to computers and the Internet and those who don’t” (Bernard, 2011). Even in the “richest places on the planet, like the United States, not everyone has access to the internet” (White, 2012). The internet is becoming an acceptable source of technology and source for information. The internet is becoming responsible for economic growth, as well as an important teaching resource in the classroom.
“Males are more likely to have more access to computers and Internet than females, and wealthier Americans and more likely to have more access regardless of race and gender” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p. 4). The technology gap in the population is caused by several different factors. There is an income divide in our population, where “46% of the poorest households do not have a computer and only 4% of the wealthy go without one” (White, 2012). There is also a racial divide in which minorities, such as Hispanics and African Americans, are disadvantaged by not having home internet access (White, 2012). Finally, there is a divide between city and rural households and the type of internet access they have available.
The type of Internet access also differs across the country from dial-up to broadband to wireless; two times as many rural homes use dial-up internet connection than suburban homes. In 2010, the FCC presented a proposal to Congress addressing Broadband issues. “The FCC proposed to expand the fund that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural communities in hopes of finding more airwaves for wireless broadband services” (Tessler, 2010). The government and population needs to continue to work together to close the accessibility gap. Even though the United States is a very well off country, we pay more money for less service. South Korea pays well below a dollar for their high internet speeds while the United States pays almost three dollars (White, 2012). If the internet companies can work together with schools and government agencies to keep the costs of internet connections low, the amount of computers in schools systems and households nationwide could increase. “95% of Americans between the ages of 19-29 are using the internet” and a large majority of that percentage are also using mobile phones that have internet accessing features (Bernard, 2011). This technology needs to be in the hands of these emerging learners since they are the growing future of our country.
Cooper, J., & Weaver, K. (2003). Gender and computers: Understanding the digital divide. (p. 4). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=SBLpfoM-6NsC&pg=PA1&dq=the gender divide in workplace&lr=&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4
Over the past few decades, women have been breaking away from the typical stereotype of being a stay at home mother. Women nationwide have been applying, interviewing, and joining the workforce, but there is still a clear gender divide. A study was conducted to discover the difference between males and females use with animation and broadcasting in school. Their results found that females improved more than the males in the animation and broadcasting category (Hale, 2005). Even though women have a higher understanding of technology and programming, women are still pushed aside in the workforce. Even among women who have gone to college and received “STEM degrees, women are significantly less likely than men to hold jobs in related STEM fields” (Sharp, 2011). Not only are women still being undermined for their skills, knowledge, and performance ability, they are also being underpaid. In 2009, according to Sharp, there was a 14% gender wage gap between men and women who held STEM jobs (2011).
Aside from the discrimination still faced by women in the field, some women are just not interested in technology! Women take fewer technology classes in school and “are far less likely to graduate college with degrees in the IT field” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p. 5). Fewer than 10 percent of women in college as freshman intend to pursue a career in computer sciences and overall, women only make up about “31% of all women students majoring in computer sciences in the United States” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p.5).
Corporations and businesses nationwide need to be aware of the gender inequalities present in the workforce. Wages and positions need to be decided by the work and performance presented by the individual, not their gender. Also, teachers should try to make sure not to just cater to male students in the classroom when addressing technology issues. They may help increase female interest in science, math, or computer related subject.
Hale, K. V. (2005). Gender differences in computer technology achievement. Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal a service of NC State University, 8(1), doi: ISSN 1097 9778
Cooper, J., & Weaver, K. (2003). Gender and computers: Understanding the digital divide. (p. 5). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=SBLpfoM-6NsC&pg=PA1&dq=the gender divide in workplace&lr=&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4
Socio-Economic
From the sections above, we have learned the families who have a higher income have more access to technological materials in comparison to those who are in a less fortunate household. There are key differences between those who live in high income families and those who do not. “Some 95% of Americans who live in households earning $75,000 or more a year use the internet at least occasionally, compared with 70% of those living in households earning less than $75,000” (Jansen, 2010). Those with higher income were also found to have a higher percentage of internet use at home and own a cell phone compared with those of a lower income. The findings used in this section are reflections of three surveys conducted by the Pew Internet Project.
Research was also conducted to evaluate socio-economic status differences in parents’ internet use and skills. 40% of parents who were in the higher socio-economic group said in their interviews that they would be more likely to trust credible websites compared to “26 percent of middle SES parents and 16 percent of low SES parents” (Admin, 2008). This means that students who come from low socio-economic parents may be exposed to websites that provide false information. Results also showed that higher SES parents used Google as their preferred search engine while low SES parents preferred AOL (Admin, 2008).
An important reason to bring technology into schools is to promote equal access to all students (Singh & Means). As stated above, not everyone has access outside of school to technological materials, whether it is computers, televisions, or cell phones. It is important to have technology in your classrooms and incorporated into lesson plans so all students get an opportunity to learn how to use the different items. Parents and students need to make sure they are given correct information about how to access information on the Internet and properly use technology. If teachers are correctly instructed then students can receive accurate information about the technology in schools and use that information in their future.
Singh, R., & Means, B. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (n.d.). Technology and education reform. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education website: http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/reasons.html
As stated in the digital divide section, race is just one of the several factors that are contributing to the digital divide. African Americans and other minorities in the United States were falling behind during the technological reform. This may not necessarily be because of their race: accessibility to technological resources is a huge factor. But, “civil rights leaders and educators have warned the public for years that the Internet was bypassing blacks and some Hispanics as whites and Asian-Americans were rapidly increasing their use of it” (Marriott, M. p.1). As the Internet is continuing to be used in increasingly high numbers in the younger age group, they could be using it for more playful and fun reason. While games and Instant Messaging is fun, Marlon Orozco, manager of The Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, would like to see blacks and Hispanics “use the Internet in more challenging ways” (Marriott, M. p. 2). As previously stated, other factors contribute to the digital divide. Different types of Internet make surfing the web to learn new information easier than others. High speed broadband and dial up are the two different types. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to the higher speed internet. According to a study performed by NTIA, “67 percent of Asian Americans and 66 percent of Caucasians used broadband at home compared with 46 percent of blacks and 40 percent of Hispanics” (Tessler, 2010). If the government and Internet companies can work together to provide Broadband access to the entire United States population, regardless of whether they live in a rural or suburban area, more families and students, especially, would have access to new information provided by the Internet.
As you can see so far, there are not equal opportunities for accessing and owning technology for all Americans in the United States. We first need to figure out a way to provide lower socio-economic status families with access to technology. Even though students are granted opportunities to learn and work with different technology mediums at school, they do not get as much expose and practice working directly with it in comparison to those students from higher SES families. The government also needs to find a way to provide all households with Broadband Internet connection.
A video was uploaded on YouTube that contained a variety of different teenagers responding to the question, “How can we overcome the digital divide?” One of the most common answers from the video was for communities to have more public libraries with Internet access for everyone to use (Smashcast, 2009). Other students commented about how they could give back to their community to help others. One student stated that they should try to start a “computer recycling program at our school because people are just throwing laptops away because their own and other people could use them” (Smashcast, 2009).
Students are recognizing that there is a digital divide and are slowly trying to make progress in closing that. All students need to be granted access to the most important technological resources: computers. “Communities need to ensure that libraries stay open, schools can provide access to their labs after school, and organizations need to plan their communication strategies around the connection style of the populations they serve” (Hertz, 2011). Internet access needs to become universal and cheaper so everyone can afford it. Technology is only going to become more innovative and challenging, so children need to be introduced to it early and have a sufficient amount of practice using it. This starts with universal access to computers and Internet.
Teacher bias is, unfortunately, found in many classrooms across America. Bias against age, race, intelligence, or looks can all be found in classrooms as well as favoritism. An article in Forbes reports the results of a research study where math teachers were asked to assess all of their individual students and state if they felt like the class was too hard or easy for the child. Results showed that “there was a clear divide between teachers’ positive assessment of their students’ abilities and their actual scores” (Casserly, 2012). The most shocking result found by researchers was that the teachers reported that the white females were doing worse in their math class than they actually were. “White females were consistently rated as low-performers, regardless of the level of skill or aptitude reflected in their scores” (Casserly, 2012). This teacher bias can discourage young, white female students to pursue a career in a mathematical field and could help to reason why some females are not as eager to pursue a mathematical or science career and males are.
The researchers from this study stated the one possible reasoning for this bias could be that math teachers view black females as having had to try harder to be successful, which could encourage higher levels academic potential (Casserly, 2012). Eliminating teacher bias is extremely hard to do: everyone has their own opinions, beliefs, and judgments. But, effective, professional teachers need to learn to shield their opinion and judgments towards their students. Bias about race and gender needs to be eliminated from our school system. Teaching students the fundamental concepts that will shape that future to ensure success should be their main goal. Teacher bias is only going to cause a barrier between students and success.
Social Issues:
The digital divide is referred to as the gap in technology that is prevalent in the United States. It can be used to describe the difference in those who have “access to computers and the Internet and those who don’t” (Bernard, 2011). Even in the “richest places on the planet, like the United States, not everyone has access to the internet” (White, 2012). The internet is becoming an acceptable source of technology and source for information. The internet is becoming responsible for economic growth, as well as an important teaching resource in the classroom.
“Males are more likely to have more access to computers and Internet than females, and wealthier Americans and more likely to have more access regardless of race and gender” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p. 4). The technology gap in the population is caused by several different factors. There is an income divide in our population, where “46% of the poorest households do not have a computer and only 4% of the wealthy go without one” (White, 2012). There is also a racial divide in which minorities, such as Hispanics and African Americans, are disadvantaged by not having home internet access (White, 2012). Finally, there is a divide between city and rural households and the type of internet access they have available.
The type of Internet access also differs across the country from dial-up to broadband to wireless; two times as many rural homes use dial-up internet connection than suburban homes. In 2010, the FCC presented a proposal to Congress addressing Broadband issues. “The FCC proposed to expand the fund that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural communities in hopes of finding more airwaves for wireless broadband services” (Tessler, 2010). The government and population needs to continue to work together to close the accessibility gap. Even though the United States is a very well off country, we pay more money for less service. South Korea pays well below a dollar for their high internet speeds while the United States pays almost three dollars (White, 2012). If the internet companies can work together with schools and government agencies to keep the costs of internet connections low, the amount of computers in schools systems and households nationwide could increase. “95% of Americans between the ages of 19-29 are using the internet” and a large majority of that percentage are also using mobile phones that have internet accessing features (Bernard, 2011). This technology needs to be in the hands of these emerging learners since they are the growing future of our country.
Digital Divide Video
("The Digital Divide," 2012).
Resources:
Aside from the discrimination still faced by women in the field, some women are just not interested in technology! Women take fewer technology classes in school and “are far less likely to graduate college with degrees in the IT field” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p. 5). Fewer than 10 percent of women in college as freshman intend to pursue a career in computer sciences and overall, women only make up about “31% of all women students majoring in computer sciences in the United States” (Coopers and Weaver, 2003, p.5).
Corporations and businesses nationwide need to be aware of the gender inequalities present in the workforce. Wages and positions need to be decided by the work and performance presented by the individual, not their gender. Also, teachers should try to make sure not to just cater to male students in the classroom when addressing technology issues. They may help increase female interest in science, math, or computer related subject.
Resources:
Research was also conducted to evaluate socio-economic status differences in parents’ internet use and skills. 40% of parents who were in the higher socio-economic group said in their interviews that they would be more likely to trust credible websites compared to “26 percent of middle SES parents and 16 percent of low SES parents” (Admin, 2008). This means that students who come from low socio-economic parents may be exposed to websites that provide false information. Results also showed that higher SES parents used Google as their preferred search engine while low SES parents preferred AOL (Admin, 2008).
An important reason to bring technology into schools is to promote equal access to all students (Singh & Means). As stated above, not everyone has access outside of school to technological materials, whether it is computers, televisions, or cell phones. It is important to have technology in your classrooms and incorporated into lesson plans so all students get an opportunity to learn how to use the different items. Parents and students need to make sure they are given correct information about how to access information on the Internet and properly use technology. If teachers are correctly instructed then students can receive accurate information about the technology in schools and use that information in their future.
Resources:
As previously stated, other factors contribute to the digital divide. Different types of Internet make surfing the web to learn new information easier than others. High speed broadband and dial up are the two different types. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to the higher speed internet. According to a study performed by NTIA, “67 percent of Asian Americans and 66 percent of Caucasians used broadband at home compared with 46 percent of blacks and 40 percent of Hispanics” (Tessler, 2010). If the government and Internet companies can work together to provide Broadband access to the entire United States population, regardless of whether they live in a rural or suburban area, more families and students, especially, would have access to new information provided by the Internet.
Resources:
A video was uploaded on YouTube that contained a variety of different teenagers responding to the question, “How can we overcome the digital divide?” One of the most common answers from the video was for communities to have more public libraries with Internet access for everyone to use (Smashcast, 2009). Other students commented about how they could give back to their community to help others. One student stated that they should try to start a “computer recycling program at our school because people are just throwing laptops away because their own and other people could use them” (Smashcast, 2009).
Students are recognizing that there is a digital divide and are slowly trying to make progress in closing that. All students need to be granted access to the most important technological resources: computers. “Communities need to ensure that libraries stay open, schools can provide access to their labs after school, and organizations need to plan their communication strategies around the connection style of the populations they serve” (Hertz, 2011). Internet access needs to become universal and cheaper so everyone can afford it. Technology is only going to become more innovative and challenging, so children need to be introduced to it early and have a sufficient amount of practice using it. This starts with universal access to computers and Internet.
How can you overcome the digital divide?
(Smashcast, 2009).
Resources:
The researchers from this study stated the one possible reasoning for this bias could be that math teachers view black females as having had to try harder to be successful, which could encourage higher levels academic potential (Casserly, 2012). Eliminating teacher bias is extremely hard to do: everyone has their own opinions, beliefs, and judgments. But, effective, professional teachers need to learn to shield their opinion and judgments towards their students. Bias about race and gender needs to be eliminated from our school system. Teaching students the fundamental concepts that will shape that future to ensure success should be their main goal. Teacher bias is only going to cause a barrier between students and success.
Resources: